Mastercard wants to get rid of having to sign for credit and debit card purchases by 2018

Signing off on credit and debit card purchases in this day and age feel like such an archaic activity in this day and age. And Mastercard acknowledges this as fact. According to the company, now there are only about 20 percent of its transactions in North America still need cardholders to sign for purchases. Mastercard is looking to eliminate this altogether by April next year—for both credit and debit transactions.

With the introduction of technologies like the card’s chip, tokens, biometrics, and digital platforms with better security, there shouldn’t be a concern about security. Mastercard claims most people aren’t even concerned about the loss of signatures. This move, in fact, could reduce time spent at store checkouts as well as reduce costs.

Source: Mastercard

Huawei is working on its own foldable phone, too

The big things in smartphone tech right now are the dual camera setup, no headphone jacks, and almost bezel-less displays. But it looks like the next thing we’re going to be seeing a lot of is foldable phones. ZTE has the Axon M and Samsung and LG have announced they are working on their own versions, too. Now, Huawei is looking to join the fray. The company’s CEO Richard Yu told CNET during the Mate 10 launch that they already have a prototype version of a foldable phone. And we can’t expect it to come out this year, instead Yu said the device might debut in 2018, which is also the timeline Samsung is giving for its foldable Galaxy X.

What’s holding them back is the available flexible screen technology at the moment as well as the need for a better mechanical design that what it currently has. Yu said, “We have two screens, but we still have a small gap. That’s not good, and we should get rid of the gap.”

HTC U11 tipped to get Android Oreo update in November

HTC already said back in August that they were bringing the Android Oreo to the U11, specifically in the fourth quarter of the year. And it seems like the company might be staying true to their word. Twitter tipster LlabTooFeR claims the update is in its final stages of development and will being rolling out between November and early December time frame. HTC hasn’t confirmed the report.

Aside from the U11, the HTC U Ultra and HTC 10 are going to receive Android 8.0 update, too. However, there is no word yet when the update will be coming to these devices.

Source: GSMArena

Demand for iPhone 8 wanes, Apple reportedly reduces production

Review: Apple iPhone 8 Plus

With the excitement surrounding the iPhone X, it seems to have overshadowed the new iPhone 8 devices. Reuters even quotes Rogers Communication’s chief executive who says demand for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have been “anemic.” This response from the public reportedly has Apple telling its suppliers in Taiwan to reduce production by nearly 50 percent in the following two months.

Apple’s shares fell nearly 3 percent on Thursday prompting analysts and investors to wonder about this staggered release of the company’s new devices. The iPhone X is expected to drop on November 3^rd. However, there are analysts that think the weak iPhone 8 sales won’t hurt Apple’s overall phone production as well as its revenue and margins as consumers might still consider buying older models. Demand might also surge once the new iPhone comes out—but again, that might not be for the iPhone 8.